Reknowned board game artist John Ariosa joins us to discuss how he creates the art many of us look at as we play our board games. You will know his art from Mice and Mystics, Bullfrogs, Hocus, and Floating Market among the many games he has put his creative stamp on. This interview is different from our standard episodes because we get to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of making board games but from a new kind of voice. We learn how John broke into the world of board game art and about his own artistic process.

If you wish to learn more about John Ariosa or just want to look at his awesome artwork, visit his site or follow him on Twitter @ariosa.

Mice and Mystics, designed by Jerry Hawthorne, is a campaign game that puts players in the roles of a prince and his friends after they are turned into mice. These mice must battle rats, spiders, and cockroaches to undo the plans of the evil sorceress Vanestra before she takes over the kingdom. To win the day, players will have work together using their strategy and cunning to outwit the evil sorceress. This game provides great depth for seasoned gamers, but is also so easily accessible by young gamers. Jerry thinks of this game as a father-son game, one that parents could enjoy playing with their kids. Mice and Mystics already has 2 expansions (a big one and a small one) that will allow players to dive into this fun story.

Our discussion focused on how Jerry designed simple mechanics and infused them with tons of theme to create a gaming experience. We discussed the ways the game forces players to have to work together to continue the story. We also learn about the term father-son gamer.

If you wish to learn more or purchase this game, please visit PlaidHatGames.com. Jerry also talks about his upcoming Tail Feathers game that exists within the Mice and Mystics world but brings a different kind of game play to the table.

Euphoria, designed by Jamey Stegmaier, is a dice-powered worker placement game set in a dystopian future. The goal of the game for each player is to place 10 of his or her stars before anyone else. Euphoria is unique because the dice represent a player's workers' collective intelligence, and the greater the cumulative value of the dice, the more likely a worker is to defect (lose 1 worker). Players need to balance between grabbing lots of workers and keeping their workers blissful and ignorant. The game offers some fun nods to all sorts of dystopian works like Farenheit 451 and the Handmaid's Tale.

Our discussion focused on Jamey's approach to designing the game, and the unique and thematic dice mechanic that drives some of the game's strategy. We talk about what makes the game enjoyable and what could be improved upon in the game (the board's UI, the incredible number of resources). Lastly, we learn a lot about the next title being released by Stonemaier: Scythe. This game looks stellar and sounds like another fantastic one from a great publisher.

If you wish to learn more about or purchase Euphoria or some of the resource upgrade boxes, please visit Stonemaier.com. Not only does Jamey offer great games, but he also shares all of the lessons he has learned on Kickstarter. Any gamer or game designer needs to make Stonemaier.com one of his or her regular sites to visit.

On Who, What, Why? we discuss game design with game designers and try to learn more about the game design process from the people who design games. Each episode we interview a designer of card games, board games, role playing games, or video games. We have both mainstream and independent developers as guests.